Narrative:

The day before this flight, our maintenance center called me and asked me to evaluate a slight vibration that only occurred on main wheel touchdown. I flew 1 leg that night in the aircraft then 2 legs in the next day. Before each leg I called maintenance that the vibration was slight but still there on touchdown. At isp station the telephone was inoperative, so I sent the dispatcher a message on the cockpit ACARS (data link) saying I would finalize the troubleshooting with a logbook write-up at the next station and another phone call to maintenance. A few mins later I was able to re-establish phone contact with the dispatcher and the maintenance control foreman. We agreed that the aircraft was safe to operate and that we would dispatch the aircraft to clt station. At clt station, maintenance removed the aircraft from service and I ferried it to a maintenance hangar at gso station. At clt station, I put a brief description of the vibration in the maintenance logbook and called maintenance to confirm my observations. The FAA now says the ACARS message was part of the maintenance log of the aircraft and that I should have written the logbook at isp station. I am not sure what the correct procedure should have been. I was not trying to hide a mechanical defect to keep the airplane moving. I was trying to keep a coherent stream of information flowing to maintenance so they plan ahead for trouble-shooting or repair procedures for the airplane. If I had had any reservations about the safety of the airplane, I would have canceled the flight at isp station.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACFT EQUIP PROB. MAIN GEAR VIBRATION LOGBOOK WRITE-UP PROC QUESTIONED BY FAA.

Narrative: THE DAY BEFORE THIS FLT, OUR MAINT CTR CALLED ME AND ASKED ME TO EVALUATE A SLIGHT VIBRATION THAT ONLY OCCURRED ON MAIN WHEEL TOUCHDOWN. I FLEW 1 LEG THAT NIGHT IN THE ACFT THEN 2 LEGS IN THE NEXT DAY. BEFORE EACH LEG I CALLED MAINT THAT THE VIBRATION WAS SLIGHT BUT STILL THERE ON TOUCHDOWN. AT ISP STATION THE TELEPHONE WAS INOP, SO I SENT THE DISPATCHER A MESSAGE ON THE COCKPIT ACARS (DATA LINK) SAYING I WOULD FINALIZE THE TROUBLESHOOTING WITH A LOGBOOK WRITE-UP AT THE NEXT STATION AND ANOTHER PHONE CALL TO MAINT. A FEW MINS LATER I WAS ABLE TO RE-ESTABLISH PHONE CONTACT WITH THE DISPATCHER AND THE MAINT CTL FOREMAN. WE AGREED THAT THE ACFT WAS SAFE TO OPERATE AND THAT WE WOULD DISPATCH THE ACFT TO CLT STATION. AT CLT STATION, MAINT REMOVED THE ACFT FROM SVC AND I FERRIED IT TO A MAINT HANGAR AT GSO STATION. AT CLT STATION, I PUT A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE VIBRATION IN THE MAINT LOGBOOK AND CALLED MAINT TO CONFIRM MY OBSERVATIONS. THE FAA NOW SAYS THE ACARS MESSAGE WAS PART OF THE MAINT LOG OF THE ACFT AND THAT I SHOULD HAVE WRITTEN THE LOGBOOK AT ISP STATION. I AM NOT SURE WHAT THE CORRECT PROC SHOULD HAVE BEEN. I WAS NOT TRYING TO HIDE A MECHANICAL DEFECT TO KEEP THE AIRPLANE MOVING. I WAS TRYING TO KEEP A COHERENT STREAM OF INFO FLOWING TO MAINT SO THEY PLAN AHEAD FOR TROUBLE-SHOOTING OR REPAIR PROCS FOR THE AIRPLANE. IF I HAD HAD ANY RESERVATIONS ABOUT THE SAFETY OF THE AIRPLANE, I WOULD HAVE CANCELED THE FLT AT ISP STATION.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.